Harry Potter, The Boy Who Became a Convict
by WizMonCruWil
Summary: What would happen if Harry were sent to Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit? Based partially on great crime films like Con Air and Harrison Ford's The Fugitive.
1. Chapter 1: In Wrong Place at Wrong Time

**Chapter 1: In the Wrong Place at the Wrong Time**

Auror missions were always hard. Harry had never expected anything less; it came with the territory. Still, it would be nice if these Death Eaters didn't wear out the Aurors running around and just gave in…

Harry was with a team of Aurors, among them his friends Seamus Finnegan, Dean Thomas and his best mate (and brother-in-law) Ron Weasley. Ron gave him a winning grin. They were about to invade a small village and attack a small compound where it was believed some Death Eaters were hiding out.

Harry gave the signal, and the team moved in. They established a perimeter around the compound. Harry pointed his wand at his throat and said "Sonorus!" Then he spoke so his magnified voice echoed around the village.

"THIS IS THE AUROR DEPARTMENT OF THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC. COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!"

For a moment, there was silence. Then-

BOOM! The front door of the compound and part of its front exploded. Through the smoke, Harry could see curses flying as Death Eaters tried to fight their way out. Harry shot curses left and right, but it was soon getting hazy and hard to see.

Suddenly, to his left, he saw several people in cloaks running towards him through the smoke. He could not see their faces; they must be Death Eaters! Harry ducked a Stunning Spell that came toward him from the same direction. Thinking the people in cloaks had shot it, he yelled "Avada Kedavra Maxima!" at the group. The quartet was hit by jets of green light and fell to the ground. Soon, the Death Eaters were captured and the village was secured. Healers wrapped the dead in body bags and carted them away.

Mission Accomplished!


	2. Chapter 2: Caught at the Altar

**Chapter 2: Caught at the Altar**

Two weeks later, a very special day dawned at the Burrow. It was the day that Harry's two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, would be getting married. The media was in frenzy, desperate to capture the story of two of The Golden Trio saying their vows.

Harry stood with Ron in the room they had shared throughout many summers in their childhood. After both checked each other to make sure they looked presentable, the Best Man decided to go check on his best friend's bride.

"Just so we're clear, Ron, I'm going to lock you in here until it's time, in case you try and get a peek prematurely," Harry laughed and did so. He then went downstairs to Ginny's room, where the bride was being prepped. He knocked on the door, and the chatter behind the door ceased. "Who ees eet?" called a familiar French voice.

"It's the pizza man. Who the Merlin do you think it is?" Harry joked.

"Oh, open the door, Fleur, it's just Harry," Harry heard his wife say. The door opened, and Fleur ushered Harry inside. Hermione, clad in white, was just checking herself in the mirror. She spun around and smiled when she saw Harry.

Harry grinned and crossed to her, giving her a hug. "You look more beautiful and even smarter," he extolled.

Hermione gave a weaker smile. "It must be the bags under my eyes," she retorted.

Harry gave a Pfft! And laughed. "Ron is going to go berserk when he sees you. You needn't worry!"

Hermione raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh? And just what were you feeling on your wedding day, Harry? Impatience?"

"To see Ginny, yes," replied Harry, turning back to look at his pregnant wife. "Nervous? No, I've been in stickier situations."

"Uh-huh," Hermione said, clearly not convinced.

Seeing that all was well, Harry returned to Ron's room. The ceremony began 15 minutes later. Ron and Harry waited at the altar. As Harry had assured his best friend, Hermione came down the aisle and she looked stunning. She joined them at the altar and the ceremony began.

For that one moment, everything was perfect. And then that moment ended when the priest said; "If there is anyone out there who objects to this man and woman being wed, let them, by God, stand up." It was meant to be a token challenge, so Harry was shocked when several men suddenly did stand up.

"We object!" said one with dark glasses on his face.

Ron looked like he was about to hex someone. "What the bloody hell do you think you're playing at, interrupting my wedding?" he roared.

"This is nothing against you or your bride, Mr. Weasley," said the glasses-clad man. "We are here for another reason."

"I can't think of a reason good enough," Harry retorted, himself annoyed that his mates' day was being tarnished.

Glasses Man remained serious. "Well, then, how about this reason, Mr. Potter? In the name of the Wizegamot of the Ministry of Magic-" and he and his three accomplices drew their wands, "-you're under arrest."

Harry's mouth fell open and he gave a nervous laugh. "That is absurd! On what grounds?'

"Involuntary manslaughter," Glasses Man said flatly. He turned to his three helpers. "Seize him". The three men launched themselves at Harry.

"No!" cried Hermione, but it was too late. The Wizegamot agents converged on Harry and pinned him to the altar. Harry tried to fight, but he was overpowered.

"I sentence you to sudden, instant and even immediate life behind bars with the possibility of parole for the murder of the family of Carlton Walker, the 63rd Minister of Magic!" Glasses Man rambled off.

Ron took out his wand to attack the Wizegamot agents.

"Ron!" Harry cried. Ron looked at his best friend, barely visible underneath the agents. Harry shook his head and looked toward Hermione. Ron followed his gaze and after a long moment of internal struggle, stowed his wand back in his robes.

"Excellent," said Glasses Man. "Guards, take Mr. Potter to the side so he can watch the ceremony. We'll leave when it's over." He waved a hand to the priest. "You may continue your sermon, Father."

The ceremony went on without any further interruptions. The holy man pronounced Ron and Hermione husband and wife. They kissed and everyone burst into applause. The guards even relaxed a little.

And that was when Harry seized his chance.

He mentally conjured a Stunning Spell that stunned his captors. He seized his wand from one of them, blasted Glasses Man with a curse and ran. The wedding dissolved into chaos behind him as Harry ran for the woods beside the Burrow. He could hear voices behind him, calling his name but he did not stop until he was deep within the trees.

He sat down on a branch to rest. Moments later, Ron, Hermione and Ginny found him.

"Mate, what are you doing? Get out of here, go!" Ron cried.

Harry shook his head. "I'm not trying to escape, Ron, I just needed a chance to talk to you before they take me away."

Hermione and Ginny were both crying.

Harry turned to Ron. "She's you life now," he said, gesturing to Hermione. "Take care of her, okay? Don't worry about me." He brought his two friends together and joined their hands. "You two deserve this after everything I've put you through. Remember that." He shook Ron's hand, and kissed Hermione's forehead. Last of all was Ginny. "Take care of our baby when he's born," Harry told his wife. "I always had happiness, but I never saw it at all-"

Ginny rushed into his arms.

"Till there was you," Harry finished sadly.

Behind them, shouts could be heard, coming closer and closer. Harry didn't look and didn't care.

"There he is, men! Grab him, grab him," cried Glasses Man. Harry was pulled away from Ginny. Harry's gaze never left hers, his face void of all emotion as his arms were pulled behind his back and wrists handcuffed together. Once they had their man, the Wizegamot agents led him away, chanting "WE GOT POTTER! WE GOT POTTER! WE GOT POTTER!"

Ron, Hermione and Ginny watched them go. Hermione turned to Ron.

"Hold me," she pleaded, and she melted into his arms; Ron kissing away her tears.


	3. Chapter 3: The Chain Gang of Azkaban

**Chapter 3: The Chain Gang of Azkaban**

Harry was taken to Azkaban prison and received a ceremonious welcome from all the Death Eaters imprisoined there. They threw rotten food at him and spat at him as he was guided to a cell. The guards had decided not to double him up with anyone, lest that someone took the opportunity to kill the Boy Who Lived.

Harry learned to live from day to day, going through his routine with the enthusiasm of a slug. There were riots in the mess hall fairly regularly and he got his fair share of injuries from just being a bystander. His daily task was to manage the warden's office, which was a privilege compared to the hard labor that befell a majority of the other prisoners. Therefore, Harry found it within himself to at least appear enthusiastic as he did this daily chore.

The only genuinely bright spot he received from prison life was when mail was delivered to the prisoners and posted from them each morning. Though he did not get something every day, Harry always sat a little straighter when he heard his name called.

"Rookwood, Avery, Travers, Shire, Potter!" the guard rattled off and Harry would accept his mail through the bars with a small thanks. The letters were almost always from either Ginny or Hermione and occasionally Ron. They were just long enough to report decent information:

 _Dear Harry,_

 _How are you, love? Everyone is fine here. The baby is beginning to kick. I wish every day that you were here with me, but Mum and George are being very helpful in getting me through this. I hope one day I can see your face again._

 _Lots of love,_

 _Ginny_

 _Dearest Ginny,_

 _I think of you always. Prison life is monotonous but orderly. If you play your cards right, you can actually create a good little niche for yourself here. We work and eat and sleep and work some more. We're always given extra food when the next train arrives to bring in more inmates._

 _Although it breaks my heart that I won't be there to see our child brought into the world, I sleep a little better each night knowing he will have you as a mum._

 _Stay strong and I'll be home soon!_

 _All my love,_

 _Harry_

 _Dear Harry,_

 _Ron and I had an excellent honeymoon in Bermuda. It was magical and very romantic! We did what you said and tried not to worry about you too much on the trip. But, now that we're home, our thoughts can't help but fly towards you. I've been reading up on magical law. The evidence surrounding your sentence seems dubious at best; we will try to work hard to free you so you can come home to us! Ron and I love you so very much, Harry, and are proud to now call you family as well as friend._

 _Love,_

 _Hermione_

 _Dear Hermione,_

 _Glad to hear the honeymoon went well- I do hope the whole "no-sex-before-marriage" thing paid off on your wedding night!_ _J_ _I can't believe my two best friends are married, though you've heard me say that before! Are there babies in baby carriages in the works?_

 _Thanks for wanting to help with my case, but I don't want it to get in the way of yours or Ron's careers. How's the Ministry since I left? Is the rest of the family alright? Are you two alright? I miss you both with a burning passion, but am comforted to know you are out there getting going with life and not stuck in limbo in this hellhole._

 _I love you both more than tongue can tell. Talk to you soon!_

 _Devotedly,_

 _Harry_

Back and forth this kind of dialogue went for a year or two. Then, one day, the letters stopped coming. Harry now got his news from a Daily Prophet subscription or the Wizard programming on the T.V. in the mess hall. From the former source did he learn that Ron had been promoted to Head Auror. A special segment was done on T.V. chronicling Seamus Finnegan's passing. It was actually through word of mouth that he heard Hermione was pregnant. ("D'ya hear? Word has it that that blood traitor Weasley got The Mudblood knocked up. Guess they can breed like gnomes, eh?"). Harry had actually started a riot that time by punching the messenger, Rodolphus Lestrange, in the face.

Despite this, Harry was generally regarded as a model prisoner. The guards treated him with something that nearly resembled courtesy, and provided him with extra protection. Even the warden took a liking to him, and the two would have pleasant conversation as Harry cleaned the bookcases and the warden worked at his desk. Five years after his arrest, Harry was given a cellmate, a wrongly convicted criminal named Oliver "Big Daddy-O" Thompson. The pair became fast friends.

Finally, one morning, Harry was unexpectedly called into the warden's office when it was not his time for cleaning. He was sat down in a chair opposite his employer. The warden smiled at him.

"Harry, I understand from your file that you have served 10 years of a life sentence?"

"Yes, sir. Absolutely, sir."

"And that your sentencing conveyed the possibility of parole, is that correct?"

"Yes, sir."

The warden nodded. He stood and began to pace around the room.

"You have been a true product of the system, Harry. The guards respect you and you have never caused trouble, save that one time when you punched Mr. Lestrange and threatened to turn him into a rodent." He actually smiled at this, and Harry smiled back weakly. "Therefore, we have decided to release you on parole for good behavior."

Harry's head was swimming. He was going home…at long last, he would get to see Ron and Hermione and Ginny and…

"A batch of inmates are being transferred by flying carriage to the Clobbergess prison in Glouchester tonight. For efficiency reasons, we have requested that you accompany them to be dropped off enroute at Scotland Yard in London," the warden reported, interrupting his thoughts. "Return to your cell and collect your things. I'll have guards fetch you at sundown."

Harry thanked the warden and left his office, still in a daze.

* * *

Later, Harry removed a small brick from the back of his cell. Inside lay a small wooden box containing all the old letters and newspaper clippings that told of his loved ones that he had accumulated throughout the years. In his hand, he clutched the slip of paper that bore his name and the words Paroled stamped in red ink. From his cot on one side, Big Daddy-O watched him.

"Amazing," Big Daddy-O said. "I hope some day I get a slip of paper like that with my name on it."

Harry turned to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You'll get your chance, Big Daddy-O," he assured him.

Big Daddy-O grinned. "Sure I will… when I'm old and grey and can't do shit around here no more."

Unable to contain it any longer, Harry cried tears of joy and hugged his cellmate. "I'm going home, son!" he roared with delight.

Just before sundown, the guards took Harry from his cell and escorted him out of prison and down to the stone harbor where a carriage with thestrals was waiting on the platform. Harry was placed inside along with 5 other men, all of them transferees. Three guards got into the driver's seat separated from the back by bars and a locked door. The thestrals were spurred forward and took off into the dusk.


	4. Chapter 4: Dangerous Games

**Chapter 4: Dangerous Games**

Harry stared at his reflection in the carriage window, something he had not beheld for over a decade. His black hair was its usual unkemptness, but he now had quite the beard to match it.

He took in his fellow prisoners. He recognized all of them: Barty Crouch Jr., (the wizard who had tried to kill him while pretending to be Mad-Eye Moody), Lucius Malfoy, Fenrir Greyback the werewolf, Rodolphus Lestrange and Scabior the snatcher.

The first half of the trip was silence. It was a long flight just to get from Azkaban to London and even longer to get to Clobbergess.

Unbeknownst to Harry, the other inmates were exchanging interesting looks with each other. Suddenly, calls for help split the air.

"Oi! Guard! Get over here! This man's having a seizure over here!" called Scabior. Harry looked to see that Crouch was foaming at the mouth and convulsing. A guard quickly unlocked the gate and came back. He bent over Crouch. "What the hell happ-"

He never finished. Greyback suddenly vaulted over the seat and bit into the guard's neck hard. The carriage dissolved into chaos. Greyback seized the fallen guard's wand and tried to stun the other guard coming towards him, but missed and hit the driver instead. The carriage pitched with no one at the controls. Crouch snapped out of his seizure suddenly. _He was faking!_ Harry realized in shock. Normally, Harry would have sprung into Auror mode, but he felt if he interfered, he would be sent back to prison…if he didn't die here first. He watched in horror as Greyback, Scabior and Crouch rushed the remaining guard, struggling to get past him into the driver's section to properly hijack the carriage. The guard managed to get to his wand. He shot a Killing Curse and hit Greyback. Crouch caught the wand Greyback had been holding and tried to reciprocate in kind, but the spell ricocheted and hit Lestrange instead. Crouch and Scabior continued to exchange fire with the guard. Harry stayed where he was, and looked over at Lucius, the only other person who hadn't moved from his seat.

The guard finally stunned both Crouch and Scabior, then took out a Muggle shotgun. He aimed it at Lucius and Harry in the back. The two prisoners looked at each other and took cover behind their seats as shots rang out. The bullets bounced around the carriage and out through the front, hitting the two threstals.

Time slowed down. The thestrals, no longer able to fly, fell to Earth, taking the carriage with it. As it went, the carriage overturned in the air over and over again, throwing anything that wasn't tied down around like ninepins. Harry felt himself crash over and over again into hard surfaces. He thought this was how he would die, until-

SPLASH! The carriage touched down, miraculously right side up, into water. Everything suddenly jolted back to stillness.

The carriage looked as though a bomb had gone off inside. Holes from bullets were everywhere and the barred gate separating the front from the back had partially caved in. Harry saw Crouch and Scabior staring up at him with lifeless eyes; the overturning of the carriage must have killed them. The driver seemed to have suffered the same fate. The guard Greyback had bitten was lying on the floor, moaning. The fighting guard was collapsed in the shotgun seat in front, blood trickling from his head, but otherwise unharmed. Lucius Malfoy had been thrown to the floor, but looked okay.

The surviving guard came through the gap in the gate and looked at his injured colleague. "Potter!" he suddenly screamed. Harry's head snapped up. "You're an Auror, do something!" he said, gesturing to the moaning guard.

"Unlock me," Harry ordered. The guard didn't move. "UNLOCK ME!" Harry yelled, shaking his handcuffed wrists. The guard fished for some keys and tossed them to Harry. Harry caught them and fiddled until he finally removed his handcuffs. Both objects fell to the floor right in front of Lucius. Nobody noticed Lucius snatch up the keys and undo his own handcuffs.

Suddenly, a fog horn reverberated through the night, nearly hurting Harry's ears. "What the hell was that?" asked the fighting guard. Harry, who had been bent over the bitten guard, looked back. The light from an old tramp steamer was shining through the back window of the carriage. The vessel was going to steamroll right through the carriage!

Harry knew he had to get himself and the injured guard out of here. "Guard, give me a hand with this man," Harry asked.

"The hell with you," the guard shot back and quickly left the carriage through the driver window out of fear.

"Guard, give me a hand with this man!" Harry repeated desperately, but the former was already gone. Lucius hobbled away, his ankles still handcuffed together, toward the back of the carriage. Why, Harry didn't know, but he had more important things to worry about.

Grunting, he helped the wounded guard up and slung an arm over his shoulder, supporting him. They made their way through the partly demolished gate and to the driver side window. The fog horn sounded again, coming closer.

Harry pushed the injured guard inch-by-inch through the window. The fighting guard had disappeared, the bugger! Finally, the injured guard dropped from the halfway-submerged carriage and fell into the water. Harry found a wand on the floor and pointed at the guard, shouting "Flotilla!" so the guard would not drown. Then, he began to get himself, feet-first, through the window. It was a tight fit. Harry struggled as the horn sounded again, the boat was closing in fast! Finally, Harry got through the window. On the sill, he looked back to the see the boat practically on top of him. Without a second thought, Harry dove into the water. He heard a horrible crunch as the steamer bulldozed into the carriage.

Harry swam without knowing where he was swimming to, though the manacles on his ankles that he had forgotten to remove were impeding his progress. After swimming for a ways, he looked back. The steamer had stopped a few feet after hitting the carriage, but the carriage had been split in half. Harry let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding and resumed swimming. He didn't know where he was but eventually, he came towards shore. He struggled to climb out of the water. Suddenly, a hand reached out. Harry looked up into the owner's face and slowly took it, allowing himself to be pulled out of the water.

Lucius Malfoy and Harry Potter sat on the banks of the Stratford-Avon river, just beyond the outskirts of town. Lucius was unlocking Harry's anklets.

"Now, I've half a mind to kill you right now, Potter. And I will if you follow me. So, don't even think about it, alright?" Lucius warned as the anklets fell away.

"Thanks, Lucius," said Harry. Then, as an afterthought, he added, "Be good."

Lucius gave a small smirk, then lumbered away into the night. Harry looked around him. He knew from Lucius that Stratford on Avon was the town just in the distance and that a ways beyond that was London. With only his rucksack with the wooden box inside and no wand to Apparate with (he had lost the one he had used to save the guard while swimming for his life and his own had been confiscated from him long ago), Harry took off running through the woods toward home.


	5. Chapter 5: You've Got to Find Him

**Chapter 5: "You've got to find him"**

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Ron Weasley groaned as his Muggle pager suddenly went off. Rolling over in the bed he shared with his wife, Hermione, he looked at the time on it. 3:00 a.m. There was a text from his Deputy Auror, Mitch Colminson. It read: GET TO THE MINISTRY NOW! EXPLAIN ONCE U R THERE.

Ron quickly got out of bed and moved to get dressed as quietly as he could. At least, until he stubbed his toe on the dresser. He heard Hermione sigh as she stirred awake.

"Please tell me you don't have to go in for work now," she groaned.

Ron leaned over the bed and kissed his wife tenderly. "I'm sorry, love. It's an emergency."

"There's always an emergency with you Aurors," Hermione said grumpily, though she was not angry with him in particular. "Mitch is a big boy, why can't he handle something on his own for once? Stay with me."

"I wish I could, darling, but I can't, duty calls," Ron said. He whispered in her ear suggestively, "I'll give you a delicious treat when I get home, I promise." He kissed her again, longer this time. Hermione moaned with pleasure into his mouth and smiled when they broke apart.

"I love you," she sighed.

"Not as much as I love you," Ron teased. After he finished getting dressed, he went downstairs and Flooed to the Ministry.

* * *

It was strange to be at the Ministry this early in the morning, but he soon found Mitch waiting for him.

"What's the problem?" Ron asked.

"We just got reports of a tramp steamer hitting an Azkaban carriage carrying inmates on the Stratford-Avon river. It happened over an hour ago," Mitch explained. "Azkaban just sent me the reports of who was onboard."

"What does that have to do with me?" Ron asked.

Mitch sighed and looked up at him. "Ron, your brother-in-law was onboard as a parolee. The other 5 prisoners were transferees to Clobbergess prison. Apparently, the carriage fell from the sky when the prisoners tried to stage a violent take-over. "

Ron froze. _Harry- paroled. Harry- missing and possibly dead_.

"There's a team over at Stratford-Avon now investigating the wreckage. We need to get over there now."

"Wait," said Ron. "Let me call my wife. She needs to know about this." He went into his office and sent a Floo message home. Hermione was in the kitchen getting a cup of coffee. Ron quickly filled her in. She looked stricken when he got to the part about Harry.

"Ron, baby, you've got to find him- dead or alive. Who knows what could have happened to him? Bring him home, no matter what, please."

"I will, Hermione. I promise."

* * *

Later, Ron and Mitch were inspecting the scene from the riverbank. The carriage- or what was left of it- was being pulled out of the water. Ron had been given pictures of the 6 inmates and 3 guards on board. So far, the body toll was mounting. 1 guard and 4 prisoners dead in the carriage remains. A second guard had been found floating in the river with the third guard holding on to him. It was a miracle neither of them had drowned. Both were being attended to by Healers. That was 7 accounted for. The only ones not found were Lucius Malfoy… and Harry.

The Aurors had begun to question the healthy guard about what had happened to him and his wounded colleague. The guard's story remained consistent with what had happened on the carriage until he claimed that _he_ had saved the wounded guard's life. Ron realized he was lying when they questioned the wounded guard.

"Potter…pulled me out…he cast a charm to help me float…don't remember anything else."

Ron then flashed his brother-in-law's mug shot at the liar of a guard. "This is of personal as well as professional concern to me, so tell me right now and don't lie- do you think this man survived?"

The guard refused to look Ron in the eye and mumbled, "He might have gotten out."

Ron just nodded and turned to Mitch. "Your call."

"Okay, folks, listen up, we have a fugitive who has been on the run for approximately 90 minutes," said Mitch. "Average foot speed over uneven ground barring injury and magical influence is approximately 4 miles/hr. That will give you a radius of 6 miles. I want a hard-target search of every gas station, residence, warehouse, farm house, hen house, out house or dog house from London to York and all towns in between. Check points will go up 15 miles from this point on either side. You heard the boss- this is of personal concern to him. Your fugitive's name is Mr. Harry James Potter. Go get him!"

The Auror squad broke ranks to begin the search. Ron prayed that the search would be fruitful.


	6. Chapter 6: Among Friends Again

**Chapter 6: Among Friends Again**

Harry's orange jumpsuit itched him as he ran along through the trees. He had long since passed through Stratford on Avon and was on his way, he hoped, to London. The sun was just beginning to poke up over the horizon. When he couldn't go another step, he hid under a log and paused to rest. He ended up falling asleep.

When he opened his eyes, it was dark again. He had slept through an entire day. He quickly got to his feet and kept moving. Just then, Harry saw people through the trees.

"Freeze! Who are you?" someone called out. Suddenly, Aurors Apparated around hm. Harry was surrounded. He ducked to the ground as cries of "Stupefy" and jets of red light came from all sides.

"STOP! STOP! THAT'S MY BROTHER-IN-LAW!" Harry heard someone roar as a figure pushed through the crowd.

The two mates regarded each other for a moment. Then Harry was nearly knocked over as Ron hugged him.

"Oh, thank Merlin! Hermione's gonna go crazy when she finds out!" he pulled back to get a better look at Harry. "You look awful!"

Harry grinned wearily. "You don't look much better yourself," he teased.

Ron had driven his car to the wreckage sight and now to where Harry had been found. He got in and Harry sat in the passenger seat. Harry told him that he had to report to Scotland Yard in London to present his paroled papers. On the way, Harry told him everything that had happened on the carriage from his perspective.

They stopped at Scotland Yard and Harry turned in his papers. Then, Ron offered to drive Harry to his home in Ottery St. Catchpole to spend the night, for it was already very late, around 10:00. Ron had not told Ginny or anyone else in the Weasley family besides Hermione about Harry's release. Harry accepted, deciding he could wait to surprise Ginny tomorrow. They reached Ron's house 30 minutes later.

The door opened and light poured out onto the lawn as a woman stood in the doorway. Hermione ran to embrace her husband and then saw who was behind him. With a cry of joy, she threw her arms around her brother-in-law. Harry hugged her back, trying to console her as she cried tears of joy. He filled Hermione in on everything that had happened with the carriage as the trio went inside.

Ron, having gone on no sleep for almost 20 hours, kissed Hermione good-night, clapped Harry on the back and went upstairs to bed soon after. Harry and Hermione stayed up talking.

"I'm sorry about the beard. I meant to get a proper haircut and shave before coming to see you, but my plans got screwed up."

"That's alright, the important thing is that you're safe and here with us."

There was silence for a moment and then Harry spoke.

"So, I heard through the chain gang you got pregnant about 7 years ago. How'd that work out for you and Mr. Head Auror?"

Hermione was silent for a moment and then she smiled.

"Come with me, " she said, holding out her hands to him. She led him into the living room where a picture stood on the coffee table. Hermione pointed to it. In it, she and Ron were with a boy and a girl. Both had the classic Weasley red hair, but the girl had Ron's eyes and the boy had Hermione's.

Harry picked up the frame and gazed at his niece and nephew. "What are their names?"

"Rose and Hugo." Hermione told him, smiling from ear to ear.

Harry repeated the names to himself and then let Hermione pull him upstairs. She opened a door and both looked in. Inside, two sleeping forms could be seen. Hermione stared at them lovingly. Harry smiled.

"You're a mama, Hermione." He said, only now willing to believe it.

"Yup, I'm a mama," she echoed proudly. They looked at the children for a moment more and then closed the door behind them.

Hermione gave him some of Ron's pajamas so he could finally rid himself of the prison jumpsuit. She said she would throw the orange garb out, maybe even burn it. Harry nearly cried from laughter. Then, Hermione got him some blankets and a pillow from the linen closet and took them to the living room couch. Harry wished her a good-night and fell asleep, happier than he had been in a long time.


	7. Chapter 7: Meet the Family

**Chapter 7: Meet the Family**

Rose Weasley awoke early the next morning. Yawning, the little 6-year old went downstairs to fetch a snack. She had inherited her father's notorious reputation for eating anything and everything in sight. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she stopped dead in her tracks. A strange, unkempt man was sleeping on her family's couch. She screamed, waking the man up. Harry looked over at her and screamed too, startled suddenly out of sleep. The screaming match woke everyone else in the house. Ron, Hermione and Hugo came running.

"Rosie, baby, what's wrong?" asked Ron.

Rose pointed at Harry. "Who's he? What's he doing here?"

Ron sighed when he realized the object of his daughter's fears. "That's no one to be afraid of Rosie. That's Uncle Harry, your Aunt Ginny's husband."

Rose looked back at Harry and crept up to him. She peered at him curiously before reaching a small hand out and tugging at his beard. "Why are so hairy?" she asked him.

Harry couldn't help but laugh. He thought it best not to tell his niece just yet that he had been in jail, so he simply said he had forgotten to go to the barber's. He then peered at her too.

"So, you're Rosie?" She nodded and blushed shyly. "I'm Harry, your Mummy and Daddy's best friend." He got up off the couch.

Four-year old Hugo, seeing there was nothing to fear, walked right up to his uncle. "I'm Hugo," he stated. Then, suddenly whipping out a toy wand from behind his back, poked Harry in the stomach. "Wham! You're dead!"

Harry played along and pretended to double over in pain. "Oh…wonderful to meet you, Hugo," he said sticking out his hand and the two shook.

Ron and Hermione watched the sight with sad smiles; there were tears in Hermione's eyes.

"Alright, everyone, time to go to Granddad and Grandma Weasley's for brunch." Laughed Ron.

"Yay! Saturday brunch at the Burrow!" cheered Hugo, throwing his toy wand up in the air. Harry borrowed some clean clothes from Ron then went up to shave for the first time in 10 years. He hacked away at his beard, his hair, and even his fingernails and toenails. Finally, the quintet Flooed to the Burrow.

Harry was met with chaos. Everyone was bustling about. Ron and Hermione and their kids went in and greeted Molly and Arthur. Harry hung behind, not wanting to interfere. When Molly saw Harry, she froze. Her hand covered her mouth and then she was rushing at Harry, hugging the life out of him. The rest of the family came in to discover what the hullabaloo was about. Harry did not see Ginny among them. After everyone had gotten over their shock, someone said something about fetching Ginny. Angelina Johnson, who was now married to George, went off to find her. Moments later, Harry could hear his wife's voice floating towards them.

"What are you on about, Ange? I was with the kids-" she stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Harry. For a moment, Harry thought his wife had lost the ability to speak. She floated towards him like a sleepwalker and touched his face, as if to convince herself that he was real.

"When did you-"

"The other day. Paroled." Harry told her, wondering why he sounded so clipped. The two slowly melted into each other's arms. Harry felt tears sting his eyes. Then, Ginny brought him into the kitchen. A horde of children was seated around the table. Ginny brought four of them over. Harry recognized his godson, Teddy Lupin, who was now 14 and already at Hogwarts. He always came home on Saturdays for the family brunch. Then he met his son, James, the one Ginny had been pregnant with when he was convicted. The other two were clearly his, as well, Albus and Lily. But he couldn't figure out how. Ginny refreshed his memory by reminding him of the Muggle help they had sought when they were first trying to have a baby. Harry had donated some of his sperm, and later, while he was in prison, Ginny had had it planted in her to have more of his children. James was now 10, Albus was 6 and Lily was 4.

Harry cried as he hugged each of them. Then, he moved on to meet his numerous nieces and nephews. There were Bill and Fleur's kids, Victoire (who was 12), Dominique and Louis; Percy and his wife Audrey's kids, Molly II and Lucy; George and Angelina's kids, Fred II and Roxanne, and of course, Ron and Hermione's kids, Rose and Hugo. 13 Weasley grandchildren in all, if you counted Teddy (which pretty much everyone did).

Harry was interrupted from meeting his family by a smacking sound. Ginny was hitting every part of Ron she could reach.

"You mean to tell me you have known about my husband's release for over 24 hours and YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?" she shrieked. Ron's protests that he had not wanted to inconvenience her the night before only got her more upset. Harry looked over at Hermione. She was covering her mouth with her hand, trying not to laugh at the sight of her husband being beaten up in every conceivable fashion by her sister-in-law. George was also finding it hard not to keep a straight face. _Just like George to get a laugh out of his brother-in-law's release from prison,_ Harry thought.

When someone had finally gotten the sense to pry Ginny off of Ron, the whole family sat down for brunch. The table was strangely subdued. People kept giving Harry furtive glances, as if expecting him to say something dramatic. But Harry remained as casual as could be, surprising some of his family members when he tried to engage them in small talk.

The Weasley family had always been close, so no one was surprised when everyone stayed through the day and long into the evening. When Audrey floated the idea that she and her family had better head home, the grandchildren all gathered around their parents, begging them for a sleepover. The parents finally relented. Teddy also agreed to stay, saying he thought McGonagall would not mind if he spent the night (or, even if she did, he didn't care). The parents summoned pajamas for everyone and all the kids rushed upstairs to get changed. Harry, meanwhile, kept talking with his family, trying to catch up with all that he had missed while in prison. Later, a stampede of feet could be heard as the grandchildren came thundering down the steps. They stood at attention like a miniature army.

"All ready, you lot? Alright, then, time for a bedtime story," said George, rising up off the settee.

"No, Daddy," said Roxanne. She stopped and looked down at her feet, embarrassed. "It's not that you're stories aren't good…"

"They're great, Uncle George!" piped up Louis, thinking this would help.

"…but we want Uncle Harry to read to us tonight." Molly II finished.

Everyone looked to Harry. Harry was trying not to give away any emotions on his face, so he just smiled, nodded and said, "I'd be happy to read to you guys." The kids parted a path on the staircase for him. They followed him single-file up the stairs to a giant room on the top floor Harry had never seen before. A sign on the door read, in a child's handwriting, WEASLEY GRANDKIDZ ROOM. KEEP OUT. Inside, half a dozen bunk beds lay flush against the walls, with a bigger bed in one corner that Harry assumed was for Teddy. The kids all clambered into their beds. Harry held court at the head of the room, surveying the faces of his nieces, nephews, sons, daughter, and godson.

"What story do you want to hear?" he asked them. He knew many Muggle fairytales from his childhood, and Ron had taught him and Hermione some of the Wizarding ones.

"Daddy, can you tell us a story about when you were away?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, in prison?" asked Hugo. This earned him a glare from Dominique.

Harry sighed. These kids were young, far too young, to be hearing about this stuff. Well, maybe Teddy and Victoire were old enough, but he still did not want to take their innocence away too soon. So, he decided to keep his tales as PG as he could.

He sat down in the center of the room, and the kids all leaned forward eagerly.

"Once upon a time…" Harry began.

"What kind of prison story starts with 'Once upon a time?'" scoffed Fred II.

"The best kind," Harry retorted. "Now, shut up and pay attention, Fred." He grinned at his nephew. "Once upon a time, there lived a man named Harry Potter. He defeated Lord Voldemort and became a very famous Auror. One day, Harry made a very big mistake while on a mission and killed some innocent people he thought were Death Eaters. Later, on the day of his best mates' wedding, he was arrested for murder and sent to Azkaban."

"You got arrested at someone's wedding?" asked James. "Whose?"

"Your Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione's, son," Harry told him.

"Mum and Dad's?" asked Rose. Then, partly to herself, she added, "So that's why they look so teary-eyed in their album photos."

Harry nodded. "The Wizegamot nabbed me in the middle of the ceremony. Your Daddy was pretty pissed. They didn't even let me stay for the reception," to which Teddy gave an awkward laugh.

"Anyway, I was sent to Azkaban and became a convict. I stayed there for 10 years-"

"Wait, what's a convict?" Albus interrupted.

"That's not important," Harry deflected. "I was there for 10 years and helped do menial jobs around the prison. I hated it at first, being there and doing that work, but eventually I got used to it."

"Did you get into any fights?" Hugo wanted to know.

"No," Harry said. "I was always a bystander, but usually got beat up anyway." Then, he smiled. "Except for that one time when I punched Rodolphus Lestrange in the face and threatened to turn him into a rodent."

"Awesome!" said Louis.

"What happened?" asked Dominique.

Harry turned to Rose. "I had just found out your Mummy was pregnant with you and Lestrange said something really snide and awful about it. Being as loyal to your parents as I am, I couldn't let him get away with that."

Roxanne raised her hand.

"Yes, Roxanne?" asked Harry.

"I still don't know what a convict is," she admitted.

There was a moment of silence. Harry had hoped this question would not crop up again. He sighed. "A convict is a term for someone who has broken the law. It is given to people who have done something really terrible and been sent to jail for it." More silence followed before Harry continued. "Then, just the other day, Harry was told by the guards at Azkaban that he would be released. He was put into a carriage with 5 other Death Eaters who were being transferred to another prison. One man faked a seizure and another bit one of the guards. There was a huge fight. The carriage spun out of control and landed in a river. I pulled the injured guard out of the carriage and then followed before a big boat ran into it.

"Oh, like in _The Fugitive_ ," Lucy piped up.

"What?" Harry asked, genuinely confused.

" _The Fugitive_. It's a Muggle movie. It's about this guy who's sent to prison for murdering his wife. Except he is on a bus, not a carriage, when it gets attacked by prisoners. And then Harrison Ford jumps out of the bus before it's hit by a train, not a boat."

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, the other adults were trying to listen in to the story.

"What can you hear, Ronniekins?" asked George.

"Not a whole lot," Ron replied. He removed the Extendable Ear from the door and started whacking it. "Your new prototype must be faulty, George. All I've picked up is fugitive, bus, carriage, train, boat and Harrison Ford." He looked over at his wife. "Who the bloody hell is that?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and smiled. "Oh, Ronald…" she sighed. She definitely had to introduce him to more Muggle movies.

Back inside, Harry was finishing his story.

"…and then, Uncle Ron found me in the woods and brought me home. And here I am."

The grandkids were silent before bursting into applause.

"That was a great story, Uncle Harry," said Teddy.

"Yeah," Victoire added.

Harry smiled. "And now, I think it's time for bed." He kissed each of them on the head, lingering on his own children and Teddy. "Good night, troops." He told them.

"Good night, Uncle Harry/Daddy," answered a chorus of voices.

Harry flicked off the light and left the room.

The adults had long sensed Harry's arrival, so they had quietly made their way back downstairs and pretended as though everything was as he had left it. Soon, Arthur conjured up pull out couches and air mattresses to hold all of the adults in the living room. Harry slowly lowered himself next to his wife for the first time in 10 years. Ginny rolled over on the air mattress to face him.

"Harry, I'll admit it, we were trying to listen in on your story with the children. But we didn't pick up all of it. Would you mind telling it to me?"

Harry calmed her with a kiss. There would be years in which he could tell her his story. For now, just being with his family, his loved ones, was enough. For the first time in a long time, he felt truly free. At last, he was home.


End file.
